Winking doll



L. CROMPTON 2,803,089

WINKING DOLL Aug. 20, 1957 Filed Aug. '12, 1955 INVENTOR. [560) 06041270 ATZUZA/EKS United Sates Patent WINKING DOLL Leroy Crompton, Newark,Del.

Application August 12, 1955, SerialNo. 528,101 2 Claims. (Cl. 46135)This invention relates to doll constructions, and more particularly to adoll having eyes that can be selectively winked.

Summarized briefly, the device constitutes a pair of eyes independentlypivoted in the eye openings of the dolls head, and weighted to normallyswing to what may appropriately be termed open positions, that is,positions in which the irises thereof are visible through the eyeopenings of the dolls head. Connected to the respective eyes are arcuatecam elements, and these are engaged by the rods of pistons working incylinders fixedly mounted within the dolls head. To shift the pistonsoutwardly within the cylinders, thus to swing the eyes to closed orwinking positions by a cam action exerted against the cam elements bythe piston rods, there are provided flexible tubes, connected betweenthe, cylinders and bulbs confined within the wrists of the doll. Thewrists are of flexibly walled formation, and hence, pressure exerted onthe wrists causes the bulbs to be squeezed, in turn causing extension ofthe pistons from the cylinders, with each wrist being capable of beingsqueezed separately from the other, so as to cause winking of a selectedeye.

The main object of the present invention is, by means of a novelconstruction, to provide means for winking either eye of the doll, andas more specific objects of the invention there are among others thefollowing: to provide eye winking means which will be completelyconcealed within the doll; to cause the eyes to be winked responsive toa relatively light pressure on the wrists of the doll; to so design theconstruction that the eyes will both simultaneously swing to a closedposition whenever the doll is laid down substantially horizontally, in asocalled sleeping position, with this action of the eyes, and theselected winking action, being so related that neither interferes withthe other, and to provide a doll having eyes capable of beingselectively winked, that can be manufactured at relatively low cost andwill. be so designed, nevertheless, that the construction willbe simpleand will not readily get out of order.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimsappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a doll formed accord ing to thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical sectional view through thedolls head, showing the eye in full lines in open position and in dottedlines in winked position; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The reference numeral generally designates the doll formed according tothe present invention, the doll having a hollow head 12 formed with eyeopenings 14. The doll is of the type wherein at least the body of thedoll has a flexibly walled construction, so that the wrists can besqueezed, for a purpose to be made presently apparent. Vvitnin thiscategory there would fall rubber dolls, and

also dolls formed of plastic material having a flesh-like feel.

Fixedly mounted Within the head, in positions inclined from the verticalbelow the respective eye openings, are cylinders 16, within which areslidably reciprocable pistons 18. The cylinders, at their anchored baseends, are disposed substantially in vertical alignment with therespective eye openings, with the cylinders being inclined at such anangle, as shown in Figure 2, as to dispose the outer, upper ends of thecylinders laterally, inwardly from the front wall of the dolls head, atan elevation slightly below the level of the eye openings.

Connected in communication with the cylinder interiors, at the lowerends of the cylinders, are flexible tubes 22, and as shown in Figure 1,these extend downwardly from the head through the arms of the doll,opening at their other ends into squeeze bulbs 24 confined within thewrists of the doll.

In this connection, the arrangement is one wherein the squeezing of thewrists will cause the bulbs 24 to be correspondingly squeezed, to expelair from the bulbs and force the air through the tubes into the lowerends of the cylinders, to elevate the pistons 18 within the cylinders.Alternatively, the squeeze bulbs could be located elsewhere within thedolls body, as for example at a higher location in the arms, or even atsome location in the waist, chest, or leg areas of the doll. It ispreferred, however, that the bulbs be located as shown, since thisreadily permits one to cause the left eye to wink responsive tosqueezing of the left wrist, and the right eye to wink responsive to thecorresponding squeezing of the right wrist.

A pair of identically formed eyeball elements 26 are provided within thehead of the doll, having aligned, transversely extending openingsloosely receiving a horizontally disposed pivot rod 23, the eye ballelements thus being independently pivoted upon the rod for swingingmovement. about a common axis extending transversely of the head inclosely spaced relation to the eye openings. The rod is carried by aboss 30 integrally formed upon the inner surface of the dolls headbetween the eye openings, being fixedly embedded in said boss so as tobe maintained against deviation from its assigned position in an axialdirection.

Painted or otherwise marked upon the front portions of the elements 26are simulations 32 of the irises and pupils of the dolls eyes, thesebeing visible through the eye openings 14 whenever the eye elements arein their normal, full line position shown in Figure 2.

To maintain the eye elements normally in said positions, assuming saidposition to be that which will be assumed when the doll is erect, thereare provided short, depending arms 34 embedded in the lower portions ofthe eye elements, and having on their lower ends globular weights 36.Gravitation of the weight means 34, 36 to a normal, vertical positiondisposes the eye elements in such positions that the eye simulations 32are visible through the openings 14.

Fixedly secured to the weights 36 and extending rearwardly from saidweights are longitudinally curved cam elements 38 in the form ofelongated, Wide bars bowed upwardly and formed with longitudinal slots40 extending substantially the full length of the bars and opening uponthe outer extremities of the bars.

The pistons 20, intermediate their ends, are provided with collars 42.having rounded top surfaces, these being fixedly secured to the pistonrods in engagement with the cam bars 38.

In use, the pistons 13 would normally be disposed at the base ends ofthe cylinders 16, and it will be seen that on squeezing of either bulb24, the associated piston will be forced upwardly within its cylinder,thus to shift the collar 1 accordingly, by means of the fixed connectionbetween the bar and weight 36, causing swinging of the eye element 26 ina counter-clockwise direction, viewing the same as in Figure 2, to thedotted line position of Figure 2, in which position of the eye elementthe eye simulation 32 is no longer visible through the eye opening.Instead, a blank portion of the eye element will be seen in the eyeopening, and thus the eye will appear to have winked.

It is important to note that the construction is such that either eyecan be selectively winked, by a light pressure on the wrist at the sameside of the doll. Further, both eyes can be winked simultaneously bypressure on both wrists at the same time. Still further, theconstruction is such that both eyes will close at the same time wheneverthe doll is laid in a sleeping position. Under the last mentionedcircumstances, the weights 36 will tend to swing to the dotted linepositions of Figure 2, and the cam bars will move outwardly along thelengths of the rods 20. The pistons and rods will, of course, remain intheir full line, Figure 2 positions, but there will be no interferenceon the part of these components with the outward movement of the cambars, thus causing the doll to he apparently sleeping.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confinedto the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a doll construction, a body; a head on the body having eyeopenings; eye elements each having an eye simulation delineated thereon,pivotally mounted in said openings and rocking about their pivot axesindependently of each other, said elements being weighted to normallyswing to positions, when the doll is erect, in which the simulationswill be registered with and exposed through said openings; cam elementsprojecting from and having fixed connections to the respective eyes; apair of cylinders mounted within the head adjacent the respective eyes;piston means reciprocating in the respective cylinders and bearingagainst the respective cam elements, said piston means and cam elementsbeing so arranged as to impart swinging movement to the cam meansresponsive to axial movement of the piston means out of the cylinders;and means under the control of a user and operatively connected to saidcylinder for shifting the piston means outwardly of their associatedcylinders, thus to bias the cam elements to positions in which the eyesimulations will be disposed out of registration with their associatedopenings, comprising tubes extending from the respective cylinders andcommunicating at one end with the interiors of the cylinders, said tubesextending within the body of the doll and said body of the doll beingflexibly walled, and squeeze bulbs on the other ends of the tubes,disposed in position to be compressed responsive to an inward pressureon the adjacent portion of the flexible Wall of the body of the doll,thus to force air into the cylinders for extending the pistons.

2. in a doll construction, a body having wall portions which areflexible; a head on the body having spaced eye openings; eye elementseach having an eye simulation delineated thereon, pivotally mounted insaid openings and rocking about their pivot axes independently of oneanother, said elements being weighted to normally swing to positions,when the doll is erect, in which the simulations thereof will beregistered with and exposed through said openings, and being so weightedin respect to their pivot axes as, when the doll is disposedapproximately horizontally, to swing to eye-closing positions in whichthe simulations Will be out of registration with said openings; a pairof elongated, arcuate cam elements having fixed connections to the eyeelements and extending in wardly therefrom within said head, said camelements being formed with longitudinal slots; cylinders fixedly mountedwithin the head below the respective eye openings; pistons reciprocatingWithin said cylinders; piston rods projecting out of the cylinders andsecured to said pistons in back of the eye elements, said piston rodsincluding collars intermediate their ends bearing against the camelements and the piston rods extending within said slots of the camelements; tubes extending from the respective cylinders to said portionsof the wall of the body; and squeeze bulbs on the tubes in proximity tosaid portions, adapted for compression responsive to a squeezingpressure exerted against said portions of the wall of the body, wherebyto force air into the cylinders to extend the pistons and rods, saidcollars of the rods, when the rods are extended, biasing the camelements about the pivot axes of the eye elements, thus to swing the eyeelements to the eye-closing positions thereof, said cam elements beingfreely shiftable along the lengths of the piston rods in the retractedpositions of the pistons, in a direction to permit swinging of the eyeelements to closed positions when the 'doll is disposed substantiallyhorizontally.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,082,679 Connor Dec. 30, 1913 1,585,340 Fitzgerald May 18, 19262,688,208 Bannister Sept. 7, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 723,043 Germany July27, 1942 1,022,397 France Dec. 17, 1952 490,384 Canada Feb. 10, 1953

